Mary's Christmas Tea
by KiyumiArashi
Summary: "Hey, Ib, guess what? It's going to be Christmas today! I decided!" Mary's exuberant voice echoed in the little room, just as it always did when she got excited. "I read in a book that Christmas is when you give your friends presents and have the best day ever! And there are sweets!" End: Welcome to the World of Guertena.


"Hey, Ib, guess what? It's going to be Christmas today! I decided!" Mary's exuberant voice echoed in the little room, just as it always did when she got excited. "I read in a book that Christmas is when you give your friends presents and have the best day ever! And there are sweets!"

She knelt by her friend and shoved a book in her lap. The open pages held cheerful pictures of Christmas decorations and laughing children.

"You like that, Ib?" Mary giggled. "You're looking a little pale lately, you know. You want to play with make-up? That will be fun! I've got everything ready for our party, and I'll make you look all pretty, too!"

Fetching her art supplies, the girl carefully mixed together the red paint she had left with some white, making a garish pink. "It's beautiful! Try it on, Ib!" Mary's face was a picture of delight as she dipped her brush in pink and turned toward her friend.

Ib stared quietly as she usually did. Mary was used to that, and would swear up and down that she knew exactly what Ib was thinking when she gave her "that look".

"You'll love it, Ib, cross my heart!" Mary gently and delicately began to paint Ib's cheekbones, creating two well-meaning but slightly lopsided smudges.

"And now for lipstick!" Mary retrieved her reddest crayon, and steadying Ib's jaw with her other hand, carefully traced Ib's mouth. "You know, Ib, you look so much happier now that you smile. That makes me happy too!" Mary loved Ib's smile. It told her that her friend was glad to be with her, and every time Mary saw Ib's grinning face, she knew she'd done the right thing to stay with her friend.

"You've got pretty teeth, you know, Ib." Mary said as she put away her crayon and grabbed another brush. "So straight and white and perfect! Does everyone have such nice teeth?"

Ib just grinned. Mary knew that meant her quiet friend was pleased with the compliment. Of course, Ib was humble, but wasn't it always nice to be told you were pretty?

"Now that we did make-up, it's time for our Christmas tea party! I drew us some cups and a teapot we can use!" Mary lifted the slightly crumbly-looking pot with pride. It was blue, her favorite color, but with a red rose lovingly scrawled on it in honor of her best friend.

"Now, drink your tea!" Mary hadn't any idea what real tea tasted like, but she was sure that a real tea party couldn't be any more fun than the pretend one they were having now.

"What's that, Ib? Garry wants tea, too?" Mary looked over at the man in the tattered coat. Really, she hadn't played with him in a while, but playing with Ib was just so much more fun. But, if Ib wanted it, Mary would be glad to include Garry sometimes. She knew Ib liked her best, and that was enough.

"Drink up, Garry!" She placed a waxy teacup in his hand and guided it to his mouth to keep him from spilling. A few stains on his faded coat showed signs of where he'd spilt things before, times that were certainly not Mary's fault. Garry was just clumsy like that. But it would be alright today, since the "tea" was imaginary. Blue water was harder to get out if it spilled, and it wasn't all that tasty to begin with.

"Now, it's time for presents!" Mary crowed, as soon as she determined that the imaginary tea was all gone. "I'll be right back!" She ran out of the room, giggling, and soon came back with an armful of crumpled papers. "Merry Christmas!"

She began spreading the papers out in front of her friends. "I used the paper we found in that room, Ib! I made pictures!" The wrinkled, water-damaged pages had been covered in scrawled crayon, the smell of mildew contrasting with their cheery appearance. "This one's you and me, Ib! Us, out in the sunshine, with a house, and a puppy…" Mary's fingers traced over the drawing as she explained each part to Ib. "And in this one, I made you a pretty red dress, all long, like a princess!"

"This one's for you, Garry," she said, bringing a drawing to the man and laying it across his lap. "I drew all of our doll friends! They want you to have a Merry Christmas, too!" Under Garry's arm Mary tucked a little rag doll in a shapeless pink dress. "Here's your best friend back, heehee! She wandered off."

Mary crawled back to her best friend and hugged her body tightly. "I'll never be sorry for staying with you, Ib… You're the best friend I've ever had. I promise I'll never leave… I love you."

Shifting Ib in her arms, Mary heard something crinkle. "Hey, Ib, you've got pockets!" Her curiosity got the better of her, and she reached into the pockets of Ib's skirt. One was empty, but the other held a wrapped piece of yellow candy and a folded square of white cloth. Mary discarded the cloth to focus on the candy. "Ib, you've got real candy! It's just in time for Christmas, too! Wow…" She crinkled the wrapper in her fingers, listening to it, sniffing at the faint lemon scent. "Ib?" Mary smiled, tilting her head to listen to her silent friend. "You want me to have this? It's my Christmas present? Thanks, Ib, you're the best!"

She twisted the wrapper open, rolling the golden candy on her tongue. "Mmm… This is really good!" Remembering the discarded cloth, she picked that up and examined it. "I-B… Ib… Hey, that's your name! That's right… you want to give Garry a present, don't you? That's a good idea…" She brought Ib's handkerchief to Garry and closed his bony fingers around the cloth. "Ib wants you to have this, Garry. Take real good care of it, okay? It's your Christmas present, heehee!"

"This is the most fun I've ever had!" Mary giggled at her friends, blue eyes gleefully meeting empty sockets. "Merry Christmas, everybody!"


End file.
